Our Story
In 2022, Left Bank Books employees and Belfast natives Julia Clapp and Tiffany Howard bought the shop from its original owners with the goal of continuing to provide the local community with a thriving bookshop. Julia and Tiffany believe a bookstore should welcome readers of all ages and provide a comfortable space for visitors to peruse a diverse variety of genres, subjects, and perspectives.
Left Bank Books originally opened in Searsport, Maine, in 2004, by founders Barbara Klausmeyer, Lindsay McGuire, and Marsha Kaplan. By 2012, the shop had outgrown its space, and moved to its current location in Belfast.
At Home in Belfast, Maine
We enjoy offering our local community (and our many summer visitors!) a wide assortment of titles, from classic literature to the newest graphic novels. Books are for everyone, and the right book is out there for every reader!
This year, 2024, we are celebrating our 20th birthday as a fiercely independent, locally owned bookstore!
Books, Books, Books!
We feature approximately 8,000+ titles throughout our shop in more than 20 different categories. Below are some of the most popular genres with our customers.
Customer Favorites
As Well As...
Equally wonderful selections in Nature and Pets, Religion and Philosophy, Poetry, Art and Architecture, Home and Garden, Graphic Novels, Reference, Race, LGBTQ, Sports, Psychology and Family.
More Than "Just" Books
We carry many beautiful and fun sideline items, such as greeting cards, stickers, stationery, and puzzles!
We proudly feature:
- Beautiful letter-writing sets and boxed notecards
- Distinctive cards, some lovely, some funny, some both
- Funny, creative and inspiring notebooks, journals, and planners
- Colorful stickers in sheets, as well as larger vinyl stickers for your laptop or water bottle
- Poster-quality wrapping paper in sheets, for all sorts of decorative and crafty uses
Subscribe to Our eNewsletter
Be informed about our famous sales, book signings, new book releases and more!
Thanks for subscribing for Left Bank Books email updates! Your email will never be sold or shared. We can't wait to tell you all about the great things going on at the Bookshop.
If you do not see our emails in your inbox, please check your spam or junk folder as they might end up there in error. If you find it please be sure to identify our emails as “not junk” non-spam email. You’ll also want to check for our emails in your promotions folder and add our email address to your contacts.
Thank you!